What’s Coming And Going From Netflix in November

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Jennifer Connelly in The Rocketeer

It’s an odd month for Netflix’s instant options, with a whole raft of stuff disappearing, but very little as-yet slated to replace it. (A note about the list below for movies and shows arriving on the service; it’s incomplete, and more titles will appear throughout the month.) Of the new stuff showing up, there’s the best Star Trek movie of all, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as well as the forgotten Sharon Stone-Leonardo DiCaprio western The Quick and the Dead and Wes Craven’s return to familiar territory with Scream 4.

(Fans of Lilyhammer should prepare to spend their Thanksgiving watching the show’s third season, which premieres November 21. It’s worth adding that Lilyhammer weirdly remains the least-discussed of Netflix’s original series, which is a shame; if nothing else, it’s at least as good as Hemlock Grove.)

In terms of the material disappearing on November 1, there are plenty of classic movies — Apocalypse Now! Broadcast News! Footloose! Okay, maybe not that last one — but the real loss felt by many might be the removal of a whole host of kids programming, including multiple Bob the Builder, Barney and Thomas and Friends titles. Now you’re going to have to find something else to keep them occupied while you’re finding more exciting ways to spend your Sunday mornings… Maybe you should introduce them to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (arriving November 1)?

If you’re wondering what you should be adding to your List immediately, here are some of the best of the new bunch available November 1:

AIRPLANE!

Before The Naked Gun, there was Airplane! — a parody of the 1970s disaster movie genre that ended up outliving its inspiration, and getting recognized as one of the funniest movies ever made. Come for more puns, jokes and slapstick than you’ll find in three other movies, stay for the chance to see Leslie Neilsen, Ethel Merman and Lloyd Bridges in the same movie. Oh, and Otto, as well.

CLEOPATRA

They genuinely don’t make them like this anymore — and, arguably, with good reason. But while the everything and the kitchen sink production values (and, to be blunt, under-performances from Elizabeth Taylor and the rest of the cast, with the exception of Richard Burton’s traditional bombast) might not have fared with critics when it was originally released, there’s something compelling about it viewed half a century later, and I’m not just talking about the chance to watch Taylor in her prime. Think of it as a time capsule disguised as a time capsule of an ancient era.

HOW TO STEAL A MILLION

Really, the cast list of this one should be enough to ensure your attention: Audrey Hepburn, Peter O’Toole and Eli Wallach. Even if you weren’t lured in by those names, How to Steal has a lot going for it, being a fun, quick heist romp through 1960s Paris that gleefully slips into the definition of “madcap” with ease. Not the best work of anyone involved — director William Wyler also made Roman Holiday and Funny Girl, so even he’s exempt — but a forgotten classic nonetheless. (Pair it with a viewing of Hepburn’s Charade for full effect.)

THE BLIND SWORDMAN: ZATOICHI

A revival of a little-known series of Samurai movies from Japan, this 2003 movie written and directed by Takeshi Kitano (he also plays the lead role, under the pseudonym “Beat Takeshi”) updates the classic formula in fine fashion, creating something unlike anything you’d expect (Tap dancing fetishists, keep watching until the end of the movie. No spoilers). Critically-acclaimed, Zatoichi won numerous awards around the world, including the Silver Lion at the 2003 Venice Film Festival.

THE ROCKETEER

One of the best of the post-Batman brace of superhero movies, The Rocketeer doesn’t just bring Dave Stevens’ classic retro comic to life (with Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connelly absolutely perfect — and, in Connelly’s case, luminously beautiful — in the lead roles), it also acts as a fun companion piece to Marvel’s much-later Captain America: The First Avenger. Both were directed by Joe Johnston, but while the latter set up the larger Marvel Universe and crammed a lot into its running time, The Rocketeer is happy to take its time and revel in its art deco-inspired gorgeousness. Why can’t we have more movies like this anymore?